Amendment to information

[hotairballoonist]

Amendment to information regarding the

FAA Special Federal Aviation Regulations Dated May 4, 2020

 

As extensively as we reviewed these Special FAA regulations prior to sending out the information on May 4, 2020, we missed something and there is conflicting FAA information on another.  My signature was on the letter and so I will take full blame and hope that we have not created undue confusion. My apologies.

Two of our BFA members, Jeff Prestun and Marty Larson took the time to read the FAA SFAR document with the link below.  Both caught the same error.

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/05/04/2020-09472/relief-for-certain-persons-and-operations-during-the-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-outbreak

The Relief regarding the Flight review is limited in scope to the following:

Relief granted in this section to certain eligible pilots and crewmembers applies only to persons conducting specific operations for which the FAA has determined relief is appropriate.

The relief applies to any operation that requires the pilot to hold at least a commercial pilot certificate. This provision will support the continuity of essential commercial operations, which include aerial observation of critical infrastructure, aerial applications (e.g., crops), and private carriage of medical supplies and equipment, which are conducted under part 91, subpart K, and parts 125, 133, and 137.^[25] 

Additionally, this relief applies to some operations conducted by pilots exercising private pilot privileges, provided the pilot has at least 500 hours of total time as a pilot of which 400 hours is as PIC and 50 of the PIC hours were accrued in the last 12 calendar months. The kinds of operations permitted are those that are:

• Incidental to business or employment,

• in support of family medical needs or to transport essential goods for personal use,

• necessary to fly an aircraft to a location in order to meet a requirement of this chapter, or

• a flight to transport essential goods and/or medical supplies to support public health needs.

We have gone back to the FAA in Washington, DC to request clarification regarding both Private and Commercial as it pertains to LTA, but we anticipate the response will be a narrow interpretation which means that this SFAR actually provides no relief for private of commercial pilots regarding the Flight Review.  If you have or will expire between March and June, 2020, you will still be required to conduct a Flight Review prior to exercising  your privileges as a pilot.

Additionally, the FAA has conflicting information as to when the expiration is for Knowledge exams.  Please refer to your Knowledge test results for the actual expiration of the exam.  The remainder of the information provided yesterday remains unchanged.  Thanks to BFA member Brian Trapp for pointing this conflicting information out.

Again, my apologies.  I am embarrassed that we missed this information.  We continue to work with the FAA folks to keep LTA in consideration as these types of decisions are being made.

Please stay safe,

Mark West
President
president@bfa.net